Pupils face longer days at school: Ministers 'to hire army of private tutors and tell children to spend more hours in classes' in bid to make up for time lost to coronavirus as doctors warn lockdown risks 'scarring life chances of a generation'

• 'Bolt-on' sessions at either end of school day will help those who've fallen behind
• Two million pupils have done less than an hour a day of schoolwork in lockdown
• PM pledged 'massive catch-up operation' to limit pandemic impact on education
• Thousands of private tutors could also be hired and used to help pupils catch up 

Millions of children will be asked to work a longer school day next term under plans to help them catch up on their education.

Ministers are finalising plans to help those who have missed out since the closure of schools in March.

It comes after 1,500 paediatricians signed an open letter warning the government it needed to get pupils back to school or 'risk scarring the life chances of a generation of young people,' according to The Daily Telegraph.

The plan, which is set to be published tomorrow, is expected to include funding for 'bolt-on' sessions at either end of the school day to help those who have fallen behind. 

Thousands of private tutors could also be hired and used to bolster classes and provide extra lessons for pupils of all ages both in person and remotely. Youngsters in disadvantaged areas are expected to get the first use of them.

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Million of pupils, pictured socially distancing at a school in Corringham, Essex, this week, will be asked to work a longer school day next term

Prince Charles fears consequences of coronavirus could be 'devastating' for young adults  

Prince Charles fears the impact of the coronavirus could be 'potentially devastating' for young adults.

His charity, the Prince's Trust, has set up a relief fund and is supporting young people who are trying to cope with job losses and other changes brought about by the coronavirus.

The Prince told The Daily Telegraph: 'In times of economic hardship it is often young people who are hardest hit and we know that many under-25s work in sectors such as hospitality and tourism, which have borne the brunt. ' 

He warned of the impact youth unemployment can have on mental health and warned it could lead to poverty and homelessness.  

Prince Charles added: 'When I founded my trust 44 years ago, the problems facing young people through unemployment and a lack of support were serious. Now, I fear, those problems have gone from serious to potentially devastating.'

A Whitehall source said: 'The best place for children to learn is in a school environment, so it makes sense to try and do catch-up work at school rather than trying to do it through home learning.

'There has rightly been a lot of focus on the impact on disadvantaged children but all children have missed out on their education so we need a catch-up programme that is open to everyone.'

Ministers have ruled out formally extending the length of the school day in legislation. But schools will be asked to run catch-up sessions on their premises.

Boris Johnson this week promised a 'massive catch-up operation' to try to minimise the impact of the lockdown on children's education.

This will include some 'summer camp' activities at schools in August, but teachers will not be asked to provide formal lessons during the holidays.

Private tutors are set to be hired to help state school pupils catch up on work lost during the pandemic. 

The multi-million pound scheme will employ the tutors at both primary and secondary schools in a bid to undo some of the damage lockdown has done to the education of millions of children.

According to The Guardian, the Government is about the announce the programme, which will last for an entire year.

Small group and one-to-one lessons will be funded, with state schools allowed to hire thousands of tutors from approved agencies.

However, ministers have decided that there is no prospect of children making up for lost schooling over the summer, so the catch-up programme will be extended into next term, and possibly beyond.

Ministers have ruled out formally extending the length of the school day in legislation but schools, such as Ortu Gable Hall School in Corringham, Essex, pictured this week, will be asked to run catch-up sessions on their premises

An open letter from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warns: 'School is about much more than learning. It is a vital point of contact for public health services, safe-guarding and other initiatives.

'This includes access to mental health support, vaccinations, special  therapies, free school meals, physical activity and early years services that help children get the best start in life.' 

Why we're still the in-crowd 

Most of us are still staying at home despite the easing of lockdown.

Adults don’t leave the home for two or three days a week, according to University College London’s Covid-19 social survey. That’s down from an average of four days spent indoors in late March.

Restrictions have been relaxed to allow unlimited exercise, non-essential outings and to meet up with friends or family. While people went out more often as the lockdown progressed, over the last two weeks this has plateaued.

The lowest earners and those with mental health conditions are spending the most time in their homes, risking increased loneliness, anxiety and depression, the study of 90,000 people found.

The research, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, is the UK’s largest study into how adults are feeling during lockdown.

Prince Charles, founder of the Prince's Trust, fears the pandemic could be 'devastating' for young people under the age of 25.

He told The Daily Telegraph: 'When I founded my trust 44 years ago, the problems facing young people through unemployment and a lack of support were serious. Now, I fear, those problems have gone from serious to potentially devastating.' 

A study by UCL's Institute of Education this week found that 2 million children have done less than an hour a day of schoolwork during lockdown.

Only 17 per cent have done more than fours a day. Some teaching unions have resisted efforts to get teachers to live-stream lessons, with the result that many schools have been unable to offer online classes. 

Unions have also advised that teachers should not be expected to mark work done at home.

The move came as the Prime Minister clashed with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over the continuing difficulty in getting children back to school.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson suggested that Labour and the teaching unions were hampering efforts to get schools restarted.

He said one of the best ways to help the poorest children in the country 'would be to encourage all kids who can go back to school to go back to school now, because their schools are safe'.

The Prime Minister repeatedly challenged Sir Keir to say it was safe for children to return and accused the Opposition of 'wibble-wobble' over the issue.

Mr Johnson urged parents to send their children back to school where their classes have restarted, saying it was 'safe'.

A string of Labour councils have refused to reopen schools, saying they have continuing health concerns. Ministers accuse the big teaching unions of also hampering progress.

Sir Keir, who has been critical of the Government's failure to move faster on schools, repeatedly refused to acknowledge that schools are now safe.

Mr Johnson told him: 'I want kids to go back to school. The unions will not let him say the truth. A great ox has stood upon his tongue. Let him now say that schools are safe to go back to.'

Sir Keir said it was not his job to answer questions at PMQs.

A government source accused Sir Keir of a 'lack of leadership' over the issue. 

Private tutors will be drafted in to help state school pupils catch up 

By Kumail Jaffer for The Daily Mail 

Private tutors are to be hired to help pupils at state schools catch up on work lost during the pandemic, it was reported last night.

The multi-million pound scheme will employ the tutors at both primary and secondary schools in a bid to undo some of the damage lockdown has done to the education of millions of children.

According to The Guardian, the Government is about the announce the programme, which will last for an entire year.

Small group and one-to-one lessons will be funded, with state schools allowed to hire thousands of tutors from approved agencies.

It is expected to involve a mixture of online and in-person sessions, and be available to pupils in all year groups - but priority will be given to those from disadvantaged communities.

Details of the scheme will be finalised this week, according to the Guardian, but education specialists the Sutton Trust, Education Endowment Foundation, Nesta and Impetus are all expected to be involved.

The four groups, who launched a new online tuition pilot earlier this month to support disadvantaged pupils, said regular 30-minute sessions over a period of up to 12 weeks were a cost-effective way to help students.

Unions gave a mixed response to the idea, with Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, saying: ‘We’ve got nothing against extra support for literacy and numeracy.

‘The question with all these things is, if you are using private providers, how easy is it to scale up.’ 

The plan comes after a government U-Turn means most year groups won’t return to school before the summer holidays.

A study found that approximately two million children in the UK have done little or no work since schools were shut in March.

Boris Johnson told MPs yesterday that education secretary Gavin Williamson would soon announce a ‘big catch-up plan’ for pupils.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils returned to school on June 8, while some Year 10 and 12 students went back on Monday.

Secondary schools have been encouraged to give each pupil an individual review to track their progress and work out what support they will need going into September.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said any plans to bridge the gap for disadvantaged pupils must stem from the review by their teachers.

Leora Cruddas, the chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, said: ‘Where tuition can have value is where it’s done alongside the curriculum.

‘If the government is going to be spending money, I would suggest that those programmes start in the autumn and are strongly aligned with the work a school is doing.’